Brothers in Arms
by Cactus101
Summary: Follow-up to Whatever It Takes. What happens when Alec leaves the Infirmary and joins the rest of the Transgenics in TC.


**Brothers in Arms**

 **A/N** : It's been a while…but I have a confession, this story's been in my computer since the end of Whatever It Takes and I held off from posting it because I desperately needed to get back to my SPN fic – All Out Of Faith. I'm nearing the end of that one but as I was cleaning out my computer files I found this one so decided to give the DA readers something to chew on.

 **Summary** : Follow-up to Whatever It Takes. What happens when Alec leaves the Infirmary and joins the rest of the Transgenics in TC.

Feedback is always greatly appreciated.

Never have, never will own anything related to Dark Angel.

This fic is for entertainment purposes only.

Enjoy.

 **DA~DA~DA**

 _I'm so gonna enjoy this_ , Mole thought, flipping the transgenic on his stomach then roughly pinning his hands behind him. He eased down on the kid's lower back, chuckling as Alec's breath was expelled from his lungs. Oh yeah, he was gonna enjoy every beautiful, wonderful, glorious minute of the kid writhing and squirming and putting up a futile battle to extricate himself from his death grip.

"M'gonna f*ckin' rip your arms off..." Alec threatened, hair slick with sweat and arms pulled so far back he could hardly turn his head.

Mole sniggered, looking down at the back of the little shit's head, delighting in every groan and curse coming out of that cesspool of a mouth. "You and what army?" he mocked, pinching the transgenic, twisting the flesh and causing the kid to squeal and thrash. "Looks like you're a little soft. Maybe you should try some training if you wanna dream of taking me on, runt."

"Soft?" Alec grunted. "M'gonna soften that head of yours…with a baseball bat," he groaned, gathering his knees beneath him.

"Blah, blah, blah…promises, promises. Let's see you put your mouth to good use," Mole chortled, pressing the back of the kid's head and forcing his face into the mat.

Alec cursed then bucked.

"That all you got, crusher?" the lizard man snickered.

The transgenic redoubled his efforts, but Mole wouldn't give him an inch. No sir. Not an inch, not a centimeter, not a millimeter. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

He wasn't trying to punish the kid. Well, maybe just a little. He was doing this because ever since Alec's return, everyone in TC had given him a pass. He had tried to explain that Alec wasn't made of glass and that he didn't need to be bubble wrapped, or protected like some kind of porcelain doll. But nothing Mole said or did made a difference because the transgenic who returned was nothing like the one who had left. The physical and emotional changes were glaring, and the denizens of TC didn't have months to adapt. All they knew and understood was that Alec wasn't Alec. He wasn't their de facto SIC. He wasn't as strong, or as fast, or as smart alecky as before. What they saw was a paler, skinnier version of Alec. They saw someone who needed crutches to get around, was prone to mood swings, tired easily, and had trouble following group conversations. Once they saw the effects of Alec's injury with their own eyes, they became kinder and far more forgiving of the transgenic.

All the kid had to do was think about scratching his ass and someone was there to do it for him. It made Mole bristle but it drove Alec crazy. Drove him nuts because he couldn't say what he was really thinking without someone making a big deal about it. The kid hated the pitying looks when he protested. Soon, he avoided eye contact, hating both the small talk and the false cheeriness directed at him. He spoke less, listened even less, pulled his hat down low and did his darnedest to stay out of everyone's way.

Moreover, if the transgenic had been hoping to have more freedom outside the infirmary, he was sadly mistaken. Now, there were dozens of eyes watching and reporting his every move back to Max or Joshua. On more than one occasion he groused that no one let him have fun anymore. Dealing with an exasperated Alec was like dealing with a storm cloud, but instead of exploding, the transgenic kept his frustrations bottled up.

Mole saw the way the kid sulked around TC. He heard the slamming doors and unintelligible grunts. He saw how the transgenic used every ounce of self-control to bite down on the words threatening to erupt out of his mouth. The thought of having a meltdown in front of everyone mortified Alec. So instead, he retreated into himself and was prone to rainy days as Max liked to call them. These were the days when the weariness of putting on a brave face caused Alec's shoulders to slump as if he was carrying a great weight. These were days when he pouted and brooded and didn't want to eat in the mess hall with the others. These were the days when he wanted nothing more than to be unseen and unheard, to sink into the background and become invisible.

But he wasn't invisible. Mole saw him, saw the furrowed brow, the dark glares, and the clenched fists. He saw how Alec tried to goad someone, anyone into getting mad at him so that his outburst could be explained away. Except, no one was willing to engage him, too afraid of the consequences. Mole realized it was only matter of time until the kid blew and it was going to be a nuclear meltdown of epic proportions unless he did something. It propelled him to ruffle Alec's feathers until the kid turned his frustrations on him.

For weeks, the transhuman put up with the kid's crap, enduring endless barbs and insults, suffering dozens of sharp jabs from those damn crutches, and smarting from the not so playful shoves and punches. He did this unflinchingly until he couldn't take one more second of that shit-eating grin. That's when he started to give back as good as he got.

It started harmlessly, pinching and poking the kid then escalated into twisting the transgenic's arm behind his back, or putting him in a headlock. Always when no one was watching, otherwise those snitches in TC would go belly aching to Max and he'd be called to the principal's office for laying a hand on their precious Alec.

But the lizard man's retaliations didn't slow down the transgenic. In fact, Alec reveled in the knowledge he was getting to the transhuman eventually enlisting that gnat of an X-8, what was his name? Scoot or Scat or something stupid like that and now those two dumbasses were pranking him. It took all of Mole's resolve not to react to their juvenile shenanigans. It took all of his willpower not to flinch when his doorknobs were greased and he spent hours cleaning the goop off. It took all of his determination to ignore his shredded bootlaces, instead walking around TC as if using duct tape to keep your boots on was the latest fad. The lizard man was surprised and a little proud at the depth of his steadfastness in the face of such immaturity. But pride comes before the fall, and fall he did when the cuffs of his coat sleeves were sewn together and his boots were filled with shaving cream.

That was the proverbial straw that broke this lizard's back.

Mole didn't bother with the pipsqueak. Nah, he was going straight for the so-called brains of the operation. He stalked around TC with his handless jacket hanging off one shoulder and white foam oozing out over the tops of his boots. The scowl on his face was enough to send half of TC scrambling in one direction and the other half to warn Joshua.

Mole was seething by the time he found Alec in the sparring room. The transhuman's eyes narrowed as he stared through the window, licking his lips like he was readying to snack on some insect. _Oh yeah, the little shit's gonna squeal_ , he thought as he shrugged his jacket off and twisted the knob. The door clicked open and Alec turned expecting Scout, except it wasn't, and his eyes widened at the sight of the predatory transhuman.

"F*ck," was all he mumbled before he bolted, hopping, skipping then throwing his crutches at the lizard man in an attempt to slow him down.

Alec managed to run a few steps; one of the few time since the infirmary he had forsaken the crutches. But it wasn't enough. Mole caught him, wrestled him to the ground, and sat on him for good measure.

Alec groaned against the pain in his shoulders, back and ribs, but it didn't stop his mouth from working while his face was smushed against the mats. "Bet I know...where all those extra supplies disappeared to, big guy."

Mole allowed more of his weight to settle on the kid's back. "It's all muscle, runt," he replied, then pinched the transgenic roughly as Alec howled and squirmed. "You give?" Mole asked.

"Gonna give you a lump on the head."

Mole reached down, taking a handful of foam from the top of his boot, aiming for the kid's mouth. "Keep talking, smartass."

Alec gritted his teeth, twisting away, causing Mole to smear the cream all over his face.

"I got all day," Mole threatened, pinching Alec's nose and cutting off his air supply. The lizard man sat back and sang his favourite barrack's song while waiting for the inevitable.

Seconds passed. Alec's face reddened. Rusty got up from his spot in the corner and made his way towards those two.

"Sic'em, boy," the transgenic gasped while Mole was distracted by the dog's appearance.

The canine looked from Alec to Mole and back again. Rusty had witnessed the escalating fights between these two and although he never sensed any danger he wanted to make sure all was okay. He approached, sniffed Alec's hair, concluding all was fine before looking down pityingly at the transgenic.

That was all Mole needed to continue tormenting the kid. Rusty sighed tiredly, took a step closer then took hold of transhuman's sleeve. The lizard man didn't react; he knew Rusty was just playing along for the kid's sake. He let the dog hang on until the door swung open unexpectedly and all three of them stared back at a stunned Joshua.

The dog man's eyebrows shot up at the sight of a cream-faced Alec pinned to the ground with Mole and Rusty in a seeming tug of war.

"It's not what you think," Mole started guiltily.

But it was because Luke had run to the dog man and told him that a particular transhuman was in a murderous mood.

"Yeah, just a little sparring match," Alec covered.

Joshua wasn't buying, his eyes narrowed at the flushed transgenic before cutting to the repentant transhuman.

Rusty released Mole's sleeve, whined then slinked away.

"Max not gonna like this," Joshua tested, knowing these two were up to no good.

The lizard man rolled off the kid. "We were just playing," Mole said and sat the transgenic up.

"Yeah, just goofing around," Alec added, punching Mole in the arm, hard.

"Can't we have some fun around here?" Mole ruffled Alec's hair roughly.

The transgenic slapped his hand away.

"Fun?" Joshua questioned.

Alec and Mole looked at each other, fake smiled as they helped each other up.

"Yeah, good, clean fun," Alec explained, leaning into Mole, wiping the foam onto the lizard man's shirt.

Joshua's mouth quirked suspiciously but he saw how animated Alec was. This was not a dark day and the fact that no blood had been spilled was enough to let this slide. "Dinner's ready. Alec coming?"

"Yeah, sure, Big Fella. In a minute."

Joshua stared at the two of them before he relented and walked out.

The smile on Alec's face faded. "Asshole," he snorted, shoving away from the transhuman.

"Not so fast, worm," Mole growled. "I'm not done with you."

"You're gonna regret this," Alec huffed.

Mole easily blocked the kid's punches before he threw him to the floor. Again.

"Not as much as you," Mole sniggered, deftly immobilizing the transgenic's arms. "Gonna teach you a little respect," he said, pinching the kid hard.

"You and what army?" Alec mimicked.

"Say uncle," Mole snarled.

A wicked smile smeared across Alec's face. "Not even in your wettest dreams."

"Keep it up, wise guy."

"Yes ma'am." Alec tried to get his legs up, but the lizard man leaned back to counteract the move.

"Steel is softer than that thick skull of yours," Mole muttered, continuing to torture the kid who refused to give in.

Between the lizard man's snickering and Alec's yelps, Rusty yawned and settled down on the floor. This was gonna take a while, the beleaguered dog thought.

 **DA~DA~DA**

Mole leaned into the door. Even from outside Alec's apartment he could hear the television blaring and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why the kid needed the volume so loud.

The transhuman twisted the knob, peering inside. A war movie was in full swing with the sound of rapid-fire machine guns and exploding grenades reverberating off the walls. He scanned the room, finding his intended target on the couch, fast asleep, one hand encircling the remote.

Mole closed the door behind him, spotting Rusty lying on the rug by the couch. Despite his size, the transhuman moved with incredible stealth and the dog only rolled on to his stomach when Mole neared. The mutt looked up, tilting his head to the side while the lizard man put one finger to his lips, shushing softly because he needed the element of surprise in order for his plan to work.

Mole pulled elastic ropes from his jacket, chuckling as he moved towards the kid. He was going to hogtie the transgenic then leave him to Houdini himself out of his bonds. But he wasn't leaving anything to chance and pulled a couple of dog biscuits from his pocket, placing them in front of Rusty. The dog sniffed at the bribe before he got himself up and placed himself between the lizard man and the transgenic. The dog didn't growl, didn't bark or whimper, just stood there with those watery, heartbreaking eyes.

 _No, no, no, no no...you're not gonna make me feel guilty_ , Mole thought then clenched the elastics tighter. After all, wasn't all fair in love and war? Well wasn't it? he questioned, staring down into those glistening, brown pools.

Not according to Rusty. The lizard man looked from the dog to the transgenic before his shoulders slumped and his mouth turned down. Of course, it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to sneak up on the kid when he couldn't wake up even with the sounds of bombs going off a few feet away. It wasn't fair when the mutt batted those long eyelashes and gave Mole that mournful look like he was about to cry.

"Alright, stop looking at me like that," Mole huffed, snapping the elastics in frustration. "But don't think he's off the hook," he warned.

Rusty stood there, waiting until the lizard man headed towards the door. Mole huffed then changed his mind and made his way back to Alec's kitchen. He rummaged through the pantry and stuffed a few items in his pockets. Items he had procured, he rationalized.

"Pay back for that last stunt," he muttered, walking towards the door when he heard a whine and a growl. He looked back at Rusty standing rigidly, the hair on his back standing on end, his eyes locked in on Alec.

"What is it?" Mole asked, but he knew. He knew even though the kid hadn't moved. He knew by the way the dog whined and Mole's pulse sped up at the thought of what was about to happen. He grabbed the door handle, wanting to run, to get someone, anyone but froze when he heard Rusty whimper desperately.

 _Why me?_ he thought dejectedly. Anything else he could handle, but this…no, not this. Give him severed limbs with blood gushing to the ceiling, give him broken bones splitting through skin. Hell, he'd even let the kid throw up on him but watching this...made him feel so damn useless.

The lizard man stared at the door knob, readying to escape. He listened for more sounds hoping... _maybe it's nothing._ But then the remote clattered to the floor as the transgenic snorted, rolling forward in an attempt to lever himself up on his elbow. Alec swayed dangerously over the edge of the couch and Mole hurried back to his side.

The kid's eyebrows knitted together in a sort of pained confusion. He made incoherent sounds as the transhuman reached for his shoulder to keep him from tipping off the couch.

"Easy, kid," Mole whispered, settling Alec back into the cushions.

The lizard man cringed, listening to strained grunts and muffled groans like something was trying to choke the life out of the kid. Rusty whimpered and fidgeted nervously, but remained steadfastly by Alec's side.

"Don't try to talk," Mole coached.

But Alec became more agitated, hands trembling too hard to hold on to anything and Mole couldn't watch. Just couldn't, because if it was him...hell, who was he kidding? It wouldn't be him. No, if the roles were reversed, and he had been the one lying in that bed for months not knowing whether he would ever get better, he'd have eaten his rifle a long time ago. Mole didn't want to think about that, or whether the transgenic ever considered doing the same.

Alec's eyes darted upward as the shuddering intensified. The lizard man held him a little tighter and the transgenic managed to turn back towards Mole, eyes filled with pain, confusion and stubbornness. That's when the lizard man realized the kid was fighting the seizure and trying to gain the upper hand.

"Stay with me," he encouraged, cheering silently when Alec held on for a few more seconds. Twice more the seizure tried to take the kid, and each time Alec fought his way out of it, snorting and grunting with the effort of trying to remain locked in on the lizard man.

"C'mon, kid," Mole whispered, holding his breath, hoping Alec could somehow come out on top. "C'mon," he urged over and over again even though the transgenic was exhausted, muscles taut to the point of snapping, barely able to draw air into his lungs yet still fighting with everything he had.

"Hold on," Mole pleaded.

But Alec couldn't hold on and the lizard man watched helplessly as the storm surged through the kid's body. The transgenic's eyes became lifeless, vacant as he choked down a breath, fists clenching, body arching then going rigid. With that, the fight was over.

Something hot and bitter settled in the back of Mole's throat because no matter how hard Alec fought, it was impossible to beat this on sheer will or determination. Mole knew it. Alec knew it, and in spite of it all, the kid battled fiercely. Mole felt at once hollowed out but proud of the kid. This time, he refused to turn away, refused to abandon the transgenic, refused to let him fight this on his own. This was Alec's battlefield and Mole would stand with him... _shoulder to shoulder_... no matter what.

The transgenic's legs kicked out, jerking stiffly. He made horribly pained sounds, but Mole stood his ground against this invisible enemy. The transhuman didn't spout nonsensical words to comfort the kid, refusing to tell him it was gonna be okay. None of this was okay with him. Instead, he held on, riding out the tempest until it was finally over and all that was left was the trembling, the gasping and the clean up. The lizard man swiped at the transgenic's mouth and chin, working quickly before the kid returned.

"That's it," the lizard man murmured, laying his hand over Alec's chest where the kid's heart was trying to gallop right out of his body. Alec fought to regain control over his breathing, when he did, Rusty relaxed knowing the worst of it was over.

The transhuman let out a breath of relief too until his eyes cut to the elastics strewn haphazardly across the floor.

Mole felt his blood turn to ice at the thought of the kid tied up and seizing. He swallowed hard against the sour taste of his stupidity then swore under his breath for having allowed their game of one-upmanship to cloud his judgment. How could he let himself believe this prank war was all a harmless joke? It wasn't, and he of all people he should have known better. Hell, even Rusty knew better.

Mole didn't have time to wallow in his guilt. Rusty growled as Alec's eyes became hazy with suspicion and fear. The sound of gunfire and explosions filled the room and the kid's eyes darted about searching frantically for an unseen enemy. Mole muttered a few curses, arm reaching down, feeling around the floor for the remote while struggling to keep a grip on the twisting transgenic. Rusty became more and more frantic; whining, barking and pacing from side to side until Mole finally found the clicker and turned off the TV. The screen filled with black and the room quieted but the transgenic didn't.

"Alec...right here," Mole said, gripping his chin to steady the kid and catch his attention.

The transgenic continued to look past him, disoriented and confused. Rusty shifted from one side of Mole to the other as Alec continued to fight off the transhuman.

"No one's here," Mole murmured.

Alec grimaced, looking overhead as his eyes fluttered rapidly.

"No one's here," the lizard man repeated, hoping this would do the trick.

It didn't. Alec groaned, grabbing at Mole's hands, trying to pull them off him.

"Easy kid…just us, here...just Mole and Rusty."

But Alec continued to resist, his feet scrabbling to find purchase, his uncoordinated arms struggling against the lizard man. Rusty's pacing intensified and he began a high-pitched whinnying. Between the dogs yelps and Alec's struggle, Mole was losing patience and he wanted nothing more than to grab the kid by the shoulders and shake him back to his senses, except that wouldn't do. He needed to get through to Alec and convince him they were safe.

"Think," Mole hissed to himself while Alec's eyes darted wildly and his arms swung out desperately.

The soldier in Mole finally clued in to what was needed. He took hold of Alec's arms, turning him on his side, pushing him further into the couch. The lizard man sat on the edge of the sofa, bracing the kid against him.

"Alec...Alec..." he called as the transgenic pushed away in confusion. "Listen to me," Mole said, waiting a beat. "This is a secure position." He took Alec's hand and placed it against the back of the couch. "Feel that?" The lizard man continued shoving Alec as far back into the couch as he possibly could. "No one's gonna get behind us."

Alec blinked rapidly, turning towards the lizard man, struggling to comprehend.

"We're safe," Mole confirmed as the transgenic's hand skimmed across the back of the couch.

"That's it, we're safe," Mole soothed. "Right, Rusty?"

The dog whimpered, moving closer, nuzzling up to Alec's face. Ever so slowly, recognition returned to the kid's eyes and he took a deep shuddering breath while his hands moved towards the dog. The transgenic's mouth twitched and he huffed in an effort to speak.

"Tee...," Alec exhaled quietly and the dog whined softly.

"Of course Rusty's here. Where else would he be?" Mole continued his one sided conversation. The dog laid his muzzle on the couch and stared at his boy.

"Tee…," Alec rasped while the dog licked his face.

"See, no one else here," Mole confirmed.

Alec's eyes blinked tiredly as his hand reached out and moved clumsily over Mole's form. The lizard man knew how clingy and insecure the kid was after one of these spells. As much as Mole wasn't comfortable with this touchy feely stuff, Alec needed the reassurance.

"Of course, I'm staying," the lizard man grumbled in mock surprise. "We're safe here - me, you and old Rusty."

Alec's muscles loosened and his eyes faltered as he let out a long breath. The air in the room finally seemed to settle. The transgenic ran his hand along Mole's sleeve while his eyes swayed from the dog to the lizard man's face. Mole pulled the throw from the back of the couch and draped it over Alec's trembling form, tucking it securely around the transgenic.

Alec blinked up slowly then his mouth laboured. "O...O," he whispered, tightening his hold on Mole's jacket.

"That's right, old Mole's got your back," the lizard man whispered, cushioning the kid against him, shielding him against both real and imagined dangers. "You rest, I've got first watch," he said, hoping the kid would let go.

But Alec's eyes continued to swing in a slow arc between Rusty and the lizard man in an effort to remain awake and alert.

"Stubborn as a…" Mole muttered at the kid's obstinance, but the words died in his throat as Alec looked up, eyes blinking with doubt and uncertainty.

The lump in the lizard man's throat dropped into his stomach. "Not going anywhere, kid. I'll be here when you wake up…not gonna leave you, alone." It was he realized, how Alec had been feeling lately - alone.

Sure, the kid had Rusty, Joshua, Sketchy, and even Max. But he needed more and it was partly his own fault for being overprotective and shooting everyone warning glares when he thought Alec needed more space. But Alec didn't need more space, he needed less. He didn't need to be apart from the TC community, he needed to be a part of it.

The insight filled Mole, recalling a moment when Alec sat in a darkened corner of TC. The kid had his elbows on his knees, smiling as he surveyed the goings on below. He watched the spontaneous name-calling, the good-natured insults and general horsing on the floor. But soon his smile faded and he turned away, refusing to watch. Mole didn't understand it then, but now he was certain Alec believed none of the jokes would ever be directed at him. Not with the awkwardness and distance between him and the others growing day by day.

Mole felt guilty because the kid should never feel alone. They were brothers in arms and Mole would always stand with him. The lizard man reached out and stroked Alec's battle scars. The simple touch was enough. The transgenic's eyes clouded over before they slipped closed.

Rusty watched Alec for a few moments then edged closer and licked the transhuman's hand in appreciation before lowering himself to the floor.

Mole felt a measure of relief as he sat there with the kid safely holding on to him and the mutt lying calmly at his feet. Something warm and gooey spread deep in his belly at the trust bestowed upon him. It made his chest tighten for a second. Alright, maybe two but then he cleared his throat and pushed aside those silly emotions because damn it, he was a soldier, one that had a job to do and suddenly, he didn't feel so useless after all.

The end.


End file.
